This one is going to sting. For a while, it looked like the Washington Wizards were poised to get their first road win of the season. Instead, the Pistons rallied back from a four-point deficit in regulation, sent the game into overtime after Andray Blatche missed a game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer, and won it thanks to Rip Hamilton.
Hamilton had 12 of his 27 points in overtime as the Pistons held off the Wizards 115-110 in OT. The Wizards started overtime with Gilbert Arenas on Hamilton, and eventually switched Kirk Hinrich onto him. No matter. Hamilton hit all but one of his shots, getting open look after open look, and led the Pistons to the win.
The Wizards got several standout performances, but didn't execute down the stretch. Arenas committed two critical turnovers in the final minute to sink the Wizards. First, he was trapped in the corner and threw the ball away. Then, after a Pistons miss, Arenas foolishly tried to push the ball and his outlet pass to Nick Young sailed off his fingertips out of bounds. Arenas also did not shoot on the final possession in regulation, choosing to drive and dish to Blatche behind the three-point line. Overall, he played well, with 19 points and a career-high 16 assists, but his play down the stretch will overshadow all of that.
Blatche and JaVale McGee had 20 points apiece, with the latter pitching in 16 rebounds. Nick Young added 18 points. Charlie Villanueva had 25 points off the bench to help Hamilton for the Pistons.